Planetary gearset carrier assembly

Abstract: A carrier for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle is provided. The carrier (10) comprises a hub (12), an annular face plate (14), a plurality of posts (18), and a plurality of planetary gears (16). The hub (12) includes a collar (22) having internal teeth (24) adapted to mesh with an input or an output shaft, and a disc (20) attached to the collar. The posts (18) are generally cylindrical, and extend between the hub (12) and the face plate (14) substantially within the respective perimeters of the hub and the face plate. The planetary gears (16) are disposed in a gear pocket between the hub (12) and the face plate (14), with each planetary gear (16) being mounted on an associated pinion shaft and adapted to mesh with both a sun gear and a ring gear. A method of making a carrier for an automatic transmission is also provided.

Description: This invention relates to carriers for automatic transmissions, and more particularly to such a carrier which has a series of structural support posts capacity discharge welded in place to join a hub and a face plate. Automatic transmissions for motor vehicles commonly use torque-converter couplings with planetary gear units that can supply one or two gear reductions and reverse, depending on the design, by simultaneously engaging or locking various elements of the planetary gear unit. Typically, a simple planetary gear unit includes a sun gear, a ring gear, and a carrier which supports a plurality of shafts on which are mounted planet or pinion gears. The planetary gearset carrier provides the structure to carry torque through the pinion gears and shafts to an output member, and therefore must be rigid enough to provide gear location without deflection. Conventional planet carriers are known which are either one piece castings, castings fastened together such as by riveting, or steel multi-piece constructions joined together by laser welding or electron beam welding. For example, the A4LD carrier used by Ford Motor Company, the assignee of the present invention, utilises a stamped plate having a bent leg which is capacity discharge welded onto radial projections in a hub portion of the carrier. Swiss Patent CH 0 415 215 describes in accordance with the features of the preamble of claim 1 a planet carrier comprising a body portion and a ring member. A plurality of bosses are integrally formed on a flange portion of the body portion and these bosses are attached to the ring member by riveting to provide a gear pocket between the body portion and the ring member. French Patent FR 2 299 566 describes a planet wheel carrier having two sheet metal parts in which one sheet metal part is provided with bent webs which engage in and are welded in arcuate slots in the other part. According to the present invention we provide a carrier for an automatic transmission, the carrier comprising: a hub and a face plate which are spaced apart but attached together to provide a gear pocket therebetween; and a plurality of planetary gears disposed in the gear pocket and adapted to mesh with both a sun gear and a ring gear; characterised in that a plurality of hollow posts extend between, and are welded to, the hub and the face plate. A carrier embodying the invention has an effective multiple piece construction which is very strong, and is easy to manufacture at a relatively low cost. Further a carrier allows flexibility of design in the choice of number of pinions to be used, and a choice of a wide range of materials for use in the hub and the face plate. The present invention also provides a method of making a carrier of the type described above which utilises a welding machine having high efficiency, low down time, and is relatively insensitive to power fluctuations. The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a carrier according to the present invention for an automatic transmission; Figure 2 is a plan view of the carrier; Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the carrier taken along line 3-3 in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a top view of a post of the carrier; and Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the post taken along line 5-5 in Figure 4. With reference to the drawings, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. Figures 1 through 3 show a carrier 10 according to the present invention for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle. The carrier comprises a hub 12, an annular face plate 14, a plurality of planetary gears 16, and a plurality of posts 18. The hub 12 includes an annular disc 20 and an axially extending collar 22 integrally attached to the disc. The collar 22 has internal teeth 24 adapted to mesh with an input or an output shaft, depending on the purpose to which the carrier 10 is dedicated, as is well known in the art. The disc 20 is provided with a series of holes 26 spaced equiangularly around the collar 22. In a preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 through 3, there are six holes 26 provided to accept either a structural support post or a pinion gear shaft, as described below. The face plate 14 is a substantially planar stamping, and is also preferably provided with six holes 28 therethrough. Gear assemblies 30, each of which comprises a pair of thrust washers 32 and a helical planetary gear 16 mounted by needle bearings (not shown) on a pinion shaft 34, are disposed in a gear pocket defined between the hub 12 and the face plate 14. The planetary gears 16 are then in a position to mesh with both a sun gear rotatable on the collar 22, and a ring gear situated around the circumference of the planetary gears, as is known in the art. A bronze bushing 35 is provided for piloting the carrier 10 to the ring gear. The pinion shafts 34 extend between the hub 12 and the face plate 14, and are upset on the respective exterior sides of the hub and the face plate to form a retaining flange 36, as shown most clearly in Figure 2. Because the interior side of the disc 20 can be sufficiently smoothed prior to assembly by machining, the thrust washers 32 are preferably brass. Although three gear assemblies 30 are shown in the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 through 3, it should be understood that the carrier 10 can be provided with a sufficient number of holes oriented to accommodate four or more gear assemblies. The posts 18 are generally cylindrical and hollow, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and extend between the disc 20 of the hub 12 and the face plate 14. A first end 38 of each post 18 is attached to the disc 20 substantially within the perimeter 40 of the disc, while an opposite second end 42 of each post is attached to the face plate 14 substantially within the perimeter 44 of the face plate. The cylindrical shape of the posts 18 provides a relatively high strength to weight ratio, and permits the posts to be positioned for welding without regard for their angular orientation. The carrier assembly posts 18 are all welded in place at the same time using a capacity discharge weld. For this purpose, the posts 18 are preferably a lower carbon steel, for instance 1010 steel, with the ends 38 and 42 shaped to a pointed rim by cold heading or screw machining as shown in Figures 4 and 5 for controlled weldment. The hub 12 and the face plate 14 are preferably formed from a higher carbon steel, for instance 1040 steel. Alternatively, the hub and/or the face plate can be formed from powdered metals. A 40 kilowatt-second capacity discharge welding machine, available from the Schlemmer company of Essen, Germany, is suitable for performing the capacity discharge weld function. It has been found that this welder has a high efficiency, low down time, and is relatively insensitive to power fluctuations. It has also been found that the heat affected zone resulting from this capacity discharge welding operation is localised, providing minimal distortion. Also, sensitivity to contamination is greatly reduced compared to alternate welding processes such as laser or electron beam welding. Once welded, the posts 18 provide the structure to the carrier 10. The present invention provides an effective multiple piece carrier construction which is very strong, and is easy to manufacture at a relatively low cost. The present invention also allows flexibility of design, in that either three or four pinions can be accommodated, and a wide range of materials can be selected for use in the hub and the face plate. The most desirable materials are those which provide good and consistent machinability. The present invention also provides good control of the gear pocket width control.

Claims: A carrier for an automatic transmission, the carrier (10) comprising: a hub (12) and a face plate (14) which are spaced apart but attached together to provide a gear pocket therebetween; and a plurality of planetary gears (16) disposed in the gear pocket and adapted to mesh with both a sun gear and a ring gear; characterised in that a plurality of hollow posts (18) extend between, and are welded to, the hub (12) and the face plate (14). The carrier of claim 1 wherein the hub (12) includes a collar (22) and a disc (20) attached to the collar (22). The carrier of claim 2 wherein the disc (20) and the face plate (14) both have a perimeter (40,44), and the posts (18) extend between the disc (20) and the face plate (14) substantially within their respective perimeters. A carrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein there are three posts (18) extending between the hub (12) and the face plate (14). A carrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the posts (18) are formed from steel. A carrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the posts (18) are cylindrical. A carrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the face plate (14) is substantially planar. The carrier as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the posts (18) have been capacity discharge welded to the hub (12) and the face plate (14). A carrier for an automatic transmission as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the hub (12) includes a collar (22) and a disc (20) attached to the collar (22), the collar (22)having internal teeth (24) adapted to mesh with an input or an output shaft, the disc having a perimeter (40); the face plate (14) is annular, substantially planar, and has a perimeter (44); the hollow posts (18) are generally cylindrical, and are welded to the disc (20) and the face plate (14) substantially within their respective perimeters (40,44); and each planetary gear (16) is mounted on an associated pinion shaft (34).

Inventors: BELLMAN JAMES CONRAD, MARTIN DALE ELTINGE, BELLMAN, JAMES CONRAD, MARTIN, DALE ELTINGE
Applicants: FORD FRANCE, FORD MOTOR CO, FORD WERKE AG, FORD FRANCE S. A., FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED, FORD-WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Application year: 1994
Main classification: F16H57
IPC codes: F16H57